The 2024 Florida Amendment Series – Voting Guide All Six Amendments
Bottom Line: Having comprehensively covered all six Amendments here’s a summary of all six of my recommendations on each of the Amendments.
Amendment 1: PARTISAN ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARDS My recommendation is a “Yes” vote on Amendment 1. In an ideal world education wouldn’t be politicized. In reality, education has been influenced by political interests since at least 1857 when the first teachers’ union, the precursor to the National Education Association, was established. During every election cycle I hear from voters who’re uncertain of who to vote for in nonpartisan school board races. Creating partisan school board races is far from a perfect fix for helping voters decide who they’d rather have represent their interests on local school boards, however it would likely help the greater than 71% of Floridians who identify with one of the two major parties decide whom they may want to vote for. Many school board members are already highly partisan in their approach to running school districts. Passing Amendment 1 will add transparency to the election process.
Amendment 2: Florida Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment
My recommendation is a “No” vote on Amendment 2 which will likely put me at odds with most Floridians as I expect that this amendment will pass. My reason for opposing this proposal is twofold. First, hunting and fishing as outlined in this proposed amendment is already legal in Florida. The passage of this proposal doesn’t inherently have a policy impact within the state. Second, as a conservationist, I’ve long fought to protect Florida’s waterways and natural habitats including threatened and endangered wildlife within them.
The amendment notes the use of “traditional methods”, however multiple forms of “traditional methods”, for example certain nets used for fishing, are currently banned in Florida. The passage of this amendment could result in legal challenges to Florida’s existing protections for wildlife, placing the outcome of these decisions in the hands of court rulings. At best, this proposed amendment is unnecessary. At worst, it could undermine existing conservation efforts.
Amendment 3: Adult Personal Use of Marijuana
My recommendation is a “No” vote on Amendment 3 and the reasons are straight-forward. First of all, this is a matter that could be handled legislatively. Amending the state’s constitution for the purpose of gaining access to recreational marijuana isn’t the appropriate way to go about legalizing marijuana and that leads to the second reason I have for opposing this amendment. No matter how Floridians vote on Amendment 3 in this election cycle, recreational marijuana won’t be legal in Florida. Marijuana remains a schedule 1 drug according to the federal government. The federal government retains superseding authority over state policies pertaining to controlled substances. This means that any businesses transacting in marijuana would not be able to access the traditional banking system and could be charged with drug trafficking if the DEA choose to enforce federal policy against Florida’s businesses. Likewise, those purchasing recreational marijuana would also be breaking federal law. If Floridians want legal marijuana, they should petition their federal representation to enact policy decriminalizing it at the federal level.
Amendment 4: Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion
I recommend a NO vote on Amendment 4. There are several reasons why a no vote is the right vote. Abortion is a matter that can be and that has been addressed legislatively in Florida. If Floridians want to see changes in Florida’s abortion law, they should advocate accordingly with their elected state representatives. The implications of this policy, if passed, would allow for what most Floridians deem to be unacceptable - late term abortions. 76% of Floridians surveyed aren’t supportive of late term abortions (third trimester), however the verbiage of this proposed amendment would open the door for it. As cited in the summary, the proposed amendment would allow for abortions up to the point of “viability as determined by a health care provider”. The health care provider making the decision would commonly be an abortion clinic. With the subjective language of the amendment, and the arbiter of viability being determined by an abortion clinic, Florida would effectively have no quantifiable guard rails in place at any stage of pregnancy. This proposed amendment is structurally flawed and morally reprehensible.
Amendment 5: Annual Inflation Adjustment for Homestead Property Tax Exemption Value Amendment
My recommendation is for a Yes vote on Amendment 5. In the state of Florida every primary residence is eligible for a $25,000 homestead exemption. An additional $25,000 exemption is provided for a homesteaded property’s value between $50,000 and $75,000 (excluding school taxes). Should this amendment pass the annual value of the homestead property tax exemption would adjust on January 1st of each year based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index.
The state’s original $25,000 homestead exemption was passed in 1980. The additional $25,000 exemption passed in 2008. A dollar in 1980 is worth 26 cents today. A dollar in 2008 is worth 70 cents today. Clearly the tax benefit of Florida’s homestead protections was far greater when they were previously passed as compared to their effect today. The most efficient way to deliver the intended impact over time is to have an annual inflation adjustment.
Amendment 6: REPEAL OF PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING REQUIREMENT
I recommend a Yes vote on Amendment 6. As I’m preparing this recommendation a total of $562,771,146 has been contributed to political candidates/causes by Floridians in the 2024 election cycle. With that much money flowing politically throughout the state there’s clearly an opportunity for political candidates to seek funding for their campaigns without taxpayer resources being used. Should this amendment pass, it would be enacted in Florida’s 2028-2029 fiscal year. According to state records Florida taxpayers spend $4 million to $13 million per election cycle publicly financing campaigns.